The outdoor event industry encompasses a great number of varying types of functions and gatherings of people, ranging from concerts, festivals, and in some cases the temporary creation of entire communities, to political and governmental events and rallies, to county fairs, flea markets, trade shows, expositions and sporting events. The industry is exceedingly diverse on the one hand but also shares a number commonalities including the fact that most large scale outdoor events result in substantial use of energy and the need for a variety of power supply sources.
Despite significant advances in the transport and accessibility of alternative energy sources in recent years, a substantial percentage of outdoor events of all sizes are still reliant to a significant degree, if not entirely, upon the provision and use of liquid fuel to run and supply energy sources such as generators and fueling and charging stations. At such events, the direct delivery to and use of fuel by individual motorized devices is also often necessary, as is the storage and periodic refilling of onsite fuel containers.
A common problem with meeting the necessary requirements for fuel delivery and distribution at outdoor events is the feasibility of transporting fuel to onsite locations where and when it is needed and distributing it in a time efficient and targeted fashion. Frequently, outdoor events are largely landlocked, meaning that significant portions of the event space, if not the entire space, have no road or pathway accessibility intended for the ingress and egress of vehicles, let alone tanker trucks or other commercial or industrial vehicles that are outfitted for the transport and delivery of fuel. Further complicating the delivery and distribution of fuel is the fact that event spaces are often sprawling, with numerous discreet locations that may require fuel delivery, some more easily vehicle accessible than others. Moreover, once an event starts, crowd density and the behavior and personal awareness of individuals can present unique logistical and challenges to refueling or on demand fueling needs.
In the current state of the industry, these problems are typically addressed by the advance delivery of large amounts of fuel to centralized onsite locations such as fuel tanks and the set-up of individualized fuel storage locations. On demand needs for fuel or refueling during events themselves are then often met by the delivery of fuel in jerry-rigged containers or transport mechanisms, off-hour supplying, or even collection, carrying and delivery by hand.
All too often, the manner of addressing the problems with fuel delivery and distribution at outdoor events, results in the creation of a whole new set of problems. Onsite fuel tanks pose safety hazards, access to them is restricted and monitored, they are unsightly and take up large amounts of space, their placement can significantly disturb the land upon which they sit as well as lasting environmental impact, and their use does little to nothing to solve the need for fuel supply to a diverse number of discreet locations that may be necessary at any given event. Meanwhile, the advance delivery of fuel by tanker trucks requires significant logistical coordination, can still have a major impact on the land for an event space itself, and must typically take place before the infrastructure of an event space is even substantially completed, as the trucks will otherwise be unable to maneuver or effectively reach their delivery points. However, the precise areas in which fuel may be needed, may not even be fully known until event space infrastructure is actually implemented, so pre-established fueling points may have to be relocated during the middle of an event setup process. In turn, the delivery and distribution of fuel through individual containers, jerry-rigged smaller vehicles not intended for fuel transport, or by hand, is highly inefficient and often times hazardous.
In all, the current state of delivering, supplying and distributing fuel for use at outdoor events is a time consuming, expensive and largely inefficient and inflexible process which poses inherent safety concerns and can add layers to any event planning and implementation process.